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That sucks. You have a tough road ahead of you, but it's not impossible to get out of. Just keep your chin up, and gather as much documentation and evidence as you can get. You pretty much know what you need to do. I've been there, too. Seven years later and I'm just now getting things back together.

Might want to do a search on your ssn with one of those info brokers that sell your personal info (which they think they own, because it's apparently only data) and see if you can deduce to what extent that your info has been compromised.

Why am I telling you this, you know what to do. We're all here for you.

Windows 9x:n. A collection of 32 bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor. Written by a 2 bit company that can\'t stand 1 bit of competition.

Actually, as a victem of identity theft, with a police report, you should be able to get a free report from all three major bureaus.

Windows 9x:n. A collection of 32 bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor. Written by a 2 bit company that can\'t stand 1 bit of competition.

Soda,
This has happened to a few people I know. As a result, I took some precautionary measures. For starters, you can get all 3 credit bureaus reports for free, once a year. (Equifax, Experion and Trans Union are the 3 major bureaus). I don't know if you can request them online or have to snail mail the requests (for the free reports). In addition to that, you can get a credit watching program with any of the 3 bureaus I believe. I currently have a credit monitor with Equifax (although it wasn't cheap).
Next step is to check all your credit reports and make sure you go through each account and verify that you did indeed open that particular account. Look for all transactions as well for each account. If you disagree with any account listed, you can challenge it and the credit bureau will investigate it. I have removed a couple bad accounts this way (because I had paid them off and the credit bureaus never showed it). Trust me, they don't give a sh*t about your credit history. The only person that will take the time to straighten out your credit history will be you. They love to mark up your credit history with bad accounts and take their sweet ass time removing mistakes they made. It sucks. Trust me. Good Luck to you buddy.

The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his - George Patton

1. Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three consumer reporting companies to place a fraud alert on your credit report. The fraud alert tells creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. You only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert. The company you call is required to contact the other two, which will place an alert on their versions of your report, too. Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you're entitled to order free copies of your credit reports, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit reports.

2. Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit (PDF, 56 KB) when disputing new unauthorized accounts.

3. File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Get a copy of the report or at the very least, the number of the report, to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.

4. File your complaint with the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. Filing a complaint also helps us learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having so that we can better assist you.

View or print an easy-to-follow brochure on how to Deter, Detect, and Defend against identity theft. For more in-depth information on recovering from identity theft and help with specific problems, read Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft.

- If you are a victim of identity theft, you have the right to file a report with your local police department. A copy of this report should be useful for victims who need to document that a theft has occurred, or who choose to place an extended fraud alert on their credit report.

- Insurance companies can no longer print your social security number on your insurance cards. Under this law, if your insurance company has been using your social security number on your insurance card, they must replace that card with a new identification number by January 1, 2006.

- All businesses will be prohibited from publicly posting your social security number or printing it on any cards as of July 1, 2006, unless they already had been using your social security number in that manner and you do not ask them to stop.

- Public and private universities, government agencies, non profits, and businesses must notify you if your personal information has been stolen as of January 1, 2006.

- Identity theft victims may place a security freeze on their credit report to prevent thieves from taking out credit in their name as of January 1, 2006

The Chicago Metropolitan Identity Fraud Task Force (CMIFTF) phone number is (312) 781-4545. Relevant since this is where at least one occurance took place.

Windows 9x:n. A collection of 32 bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor. Written by a 2 bit company that can\'t stand 1 bit of competition.